The Many Ways Twitter Epically Changed the Digital Marketing Game Forever

26May

The Many Ways Twitter Epically Changed the Digital Marketing Game Forever

Twitter demonstrates the true purpose of digital media: to stay effortlessly connected to the world. Twitter has an estimated 332 million active users, and sees about 500 million tweets a day. Since Twitter’s humble beginnings just over a decade ago, it has changed today’s world in a plethora of ways. So sit back, relax; and try remember what life was like before hashtags, #YOLO, and celebrity endorsed tweets.

The Slang Game

Since Twitter started in 2006, posts could only accommodate 140 characters. Because of the limited space, it was only a matter of time before certain abbreviated words became universally understood. Twitter became so popular, that these new words actually bled through to real life, and became everyday slang. (brb, YOLO, etc.)

Hashtags

Perhaps the biggest impact Twitter has had on today’s culture is the use of the hashtag, or #. The hashtag’s original purpose, was to serve as a tag to connect you with other messages with the same ideas and themes. For example, if you were visiting the LACMA in Los Angeles, you would tag the Tweet with #LACMA; and upon clicking it, you would see other people who are talking about the museum.

Hashtags connect people in a multitude of ways. For example, the use of hashtags can serve as a real community builder, and can successfully market organizations nationwide. Fundraisers, businesses, and elections (especially this year), use hashtags to connect millions of people, and build awareness around their message. With so much buzz around this year’s election, people are connecting from all corners of the earth and creating productive (well, most of the time) conversations.

Over the years, the use of the hashtag has morphed into a whole new style of speech. People often use the tag as an aside, or a way to add additional commentary to their tweet. For example, if I were to tweet: “I love visiting the parents back home”, I could hashtag: #freefood, #momhugs, and #childhoodbed (or something like that). The use of hashtags can sometimes become a bit outrageous, as explored in this humorous Jimmy Fallon sketch.

Celebrity Obsession

Sometimes it feels like Twitter was made for Celebrities. The social media platform is used by public figures, actors, musicians, and politicians, allowing them to reach a mass amount of people. While some celebrities use it simply to speak their mind every once in a while, others use it as somewhat of a soapbox.

While some celebrities make headlines with ridiculous Twitter feuds, many use it to market their brands, or endorse products. Some famous faces make quite a bit of money using Twitter to spread the word about a product. Pop Princess, Taylor Swift, can make up to $223,000 with just one Tweet.

Doing Some Good

Sure, Twitter may feel trivial at times, but there are many instances that prove the social media site can really make a positive difference in the world. In 2014, Twitter opened eyes all over the world to a mass terrorist abduction of Nigerian school girls by using the hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls. Without this shared hashtag, it’s reasonable to assume the crisis would have been ignored; but instead, it made national headlines. Whether it’s fundraising, saving lives, or simply spreading a hopeful message, there are things you can do to make your Twitter campaign gain momentum as explained in this article.